Clement: Blame credibility for media’s demise

What if what’s ailing the news business has nothing to do with the Internet?
A new study by the Pew Research Center for People & the Press shows public distrust of the news media has grown to an all-time high. Not only does 63 percent of the public doubt the accuracy of
the news reported, 60 percent ...

4 comments

When TV network broadcasters decided years ago that their news programs had to become “profit centers”, that was the end of the value and credibility of TV news.

One local TV station’s news program would feature a photograph of Edward R. Murrow on screen while delivering broadcasts which were/are in my opinion, utterly devoid of merit, consisting of one sex or violence oriented item after another for the entire program. To me, that was/is nothing less than a slap in the face to the memory of a truly respected journalist.

Great post. While the news media’s focus is pushed either far to the right or to the left with “personalities” taking the place of real journalistic integrity and trust to report a story without extreme bias, the media wonders why people are running away in droves. It’s probably not ALL the media that is doing this but the big mouths that have tainted the entire industry. Granted, there’s a lot to be said for the free availability of content on the web and the economic downturn forcing advertisers to cut budgets but you are right that if the core business is true then technology can only be an improvement (when done right) and not the enemy.

In effect a new organization that takes advantage of and innovates in technology can thrive with a new business model, but a core commitment to quality informative news reporting AND (this is important) marketed in a manner that reflects the way real people are reading the news today. There are so many technologies to take advantage of from websites, mobile, text, email, social media, podcasts, RSS, etc. that I can’t imagine there’s not more than one workable model out there waiting to be discovered, or a technology that ties them all together in a way that people will pay to tap into or somehow able to be monetized like when the newspaper was delivered to their doorsteps.

But first, make the entertainers admit what they do is for entertainment and let the real reporting be done by professionals – or not – perhaps real reporting can be done through a mix of on-the-spot citizens and aggregated by smart, attentive, quick editors as a filter. Who knows what will work best?

Another great editorial commentary by Ms. Clement. The news media continues to dig its own grave because they just don’t get it. They think they are so smart and that they know what people want so they push forth with an agenda that is so obviously wrong to savvy consumers but something they can’t see or are willing to accept. Meanwhile social media and other forms of internet communication continue to gather steam and are poised to deal the mainstream media the same fate as the dinosaurs who once ruled the earth. Where is Walter Cronkite when you need him the most?